Prayer in the Wind
by darkladywolf
Summary: Life was hard and unforgiving. Both Rin and Yukio knew that. But when they find a close-to-death pink-haired girl in an alley, their lives will never be the same again. They are in for one hell of a ride...*I do not own Naruto and/or Ao no Exorcist*
1. Prologue

It took all of her will power to keep herself from screaming. Things weren't supposed to take this turn! No, no, no, no! It wasn't supposed to end like this! _They_ weren't supposed to end like this! She knew that it would be hard, that it would probably be the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives. But it had never occurred to her that the might not make it out alive…until now.

Her wounds bled heavily as she made a futile attempt to stand on her feet. Her blood pooled around her dying the ground a deep scarlet. She had slash wounds all over her arms and legs, a deep gash oozing with blood was running down her abdomen, bruises of all sizes covered her once pale skin and the small slash across her right cheek was still seeping blood. The pain at her side indicated at least four broken ribs. Medically wise her wounds were not life threatening but she was suffering from severe blood loss and a serious case of chakra depletion. Now, that could prove dangerous. At least she could take some comfort in the fact that Kabuto definitely had it worse than her if the broken body lying several feet away in crater-a result of her devastating strength- was any indication. She had made sure that he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Despite her pain, she still found it in herself to smirk.

A resounding explosion ripped her out of her thoughts and her emerald eyes widened when a cloud of dust and rocks obstructed her view of the two shinobi fighting. She had to get to them; before they did something they would all regret later. She had learnt to live with failure but not with regret. Never with regret…

Sakura gritted her teeth and shakily pushed herself up, wincing when pain shot through her side. Make that five broken ribs. She took a few unsteady steps and cursed loudly when she fell to her knees, tearing her skin open on the hard ground. But she didn't care. All she could think of was reaching the two people that she cherished above all others in life. It didn't matter if she broke all her bones while doing so. She _would_ get to them; one way or another she would reach them before…She didn't even dare continue that thought. The pink-haired woman pushed herself up once more with pure determination burning in her fiery emerald eyes.

She didn't know how long it took her to reach them. Seconds, minutes, an hour….Time meant nothing to her anymore; it was just blurred numbers and memories. She could feel the blood running down her body, the essence of her life leaving her slowly as it created a scarlet trail at her wake.

She could see them now. The Sun and the Moon; both glorious and beautiful in their own unique way that made her heart break. She could see them. Bloodied and hurt and probably exhausted but not giving up. Never giving up…..They charged at each other unleashing jutsu after jutsu after jutsu. They were two different elements fighting for domination….over what? They probably didn't even know anymore. Their movements were so graceful and balanced it seemed as if they were dancing; it was an ancient, deadly dance of war and glory. But there was nothing gallant about that war, no valor in their fighting. How could there be when brother turned against brother?

They were at their breaking points, she could tell. Steel clashed against steel and onyx clashed with cerulean blue. They were two opposite halves of the same whole. Yin and Yang. Two unstoppable forces of nature.

Right before her eyes, power began to glow in their hands as the wind around her picked up and the sound of chirping birds reached her ears. Her emerald eyes widened in fear as realization of the upcoming end hit her full force. No….They couldn't end like that. They _wouldn't_! She wouldn't be able to save them, she knew. Should they those attacks hit either of them, it would mean the end of Team 7…..Forever. They stood opposite from each other, starring each other down. For a moment she dared hope that they were hesitating, that they would drop their hands and they would all go home….Together. But this was not a fairy tale, this was their real world. There was a hard glint in their steely eyes, as if they no longer recognized each other. They charged.

It was by sheer power of will that the pink-haired woman managed to push the last remnants of her chakra to her feet and catapulted herself forward. A familiar memory flashed before her eyes and a smile crept to her lips as she recalled three young genin on the roof of a hospital. It was ironic how she always managed to get herself in these kind of situations. There was no Kakashi this time, though. There was no one to pull her out of the way of her upcoming doom.

But the smile on her face remained. She was doing the right thing. She wouldn't let them perish like that. They had saved her in more ways than they could imagine; even the silent avenger. Had it not been for his betrayal, she would have become the woman she was. It was time to return the favor. To both of them. The gentle smile on her face widened as she felt the warmth of familiar chakra engulf her.

The last thing she saw before her eyes faded and darkness embraced her were cerulean and onyx and the sound of someone screaming her name.

"SAKURA!"

'_Sasuke…Naruto…I love you!'_

XxxOxOxOxxX

Okumura Rin tried in vain to gain his brother's attention as they walked to the Old Male Dormitory after the end of that day's classes. It seemed that Yukio was so set on ignoring him that he didn't even glance his way. Not even once! And that was starting to seriously get on his nerves.

"Come on Yukio! Please!"

The young professor sighed "For the last time Rin, I said no and that's final."

"But why? It's not like we haven't done it before!"

"And it turned out to be disastrous. I am not making the same mistake again. You better focus on your training and forget about missions for a while."

"But that is so unfair!" whined Rin "All I do is try to light some candles! That's not even real training!"

"You must learn to control your flames or-"

"Yeah, and lighting candles is just the way!"

"Rin! Do you even realize the gravity of the situation? If you don't pass you Exorcist Exams, the Grigori will execute you!" Yukio yelled at his brother despite being out in the open. It didn't matter anyway, they were the only ones out at this time of the day.

Rin looked at his brother wide-eyed before lowering his head. He hated it to admit it but his brother was right. He was the Son of Satan. It was almost surprising that he was still alive with all those after him. Still….that didn't mean that he was pleased with how things were. He felt like a prisoner; not one behind steel bars but a prisoner nonetheless. And somehow he knew that no matter what he did, no matter how well he learnt to control his powers, he would always be prisoner of his own lineage. Rin sighed heavily and crossed his arms across his chest stubbornly.

"It was worth a try."

Yukio smiled at his brother's sulking face. Rin was hot-headed, impulsive and reckless but even he could see reason when the time called for it. It was almost funny watching him pout with his lower lip sticking out, a white fang showing behind it. Yukio would have laughed had it not been for his brother suddenly widening his eyes while staring somewhere in the distance.

"Yukio…What is that thing?" the 16-year-old boy asked and pointed at something behind him. Yukio pushed his glasses up and looked at where Rin had pointed. There was a strange light descending from the sky and it definitely wasn't a shooting star. It was way too big and bright to be one.

Rin watched as the light tore through the night sky before it disappeared behind some buildings not very far from where they were standing. "Demon?" he heard his brother whisper beside him but he wasn't so sure that it was indeed a demon. Without a second thought he dashed forward, jumping over a steel fence and completely ignoring Yukio who was trying in vain to stop him. He didn't know why but that strange light made his stomach turn. It was a strange foreboding that had him on edge. Not in a negative way, though.

He took a sharp turn and found himself in a dark alley. The only light came from a street lamp but it was enough for him to see the outline of a figure lying in the shadows. He rushed to their side not noticing Yukio coming up beside him panting slightly.

"Don't just stand there! Come help me!" Rin shouted at him.

Carefully, they pulled the person out of the shadows into the light only to gasp at the sight. It was a girl covered in bruises and blood. She had slashes all over her arms and legs and there was an ugly gash running across her abdomen. Her clothes were torn and tattered with dried blood covering most of her skin.

"W-What happened to her?" Yukio wondered horrified at the condition the girl was in. She looked to be about their age but they couldn't be sure, what with all the blood and bruises covering her skin and face.

Rin immediately checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt her slow heartbeat under his fingers. Her pulse was faint and her condition was bad but she was alive.

"Yukio….What are we going to do with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"We can't just leave her here! She'll die!"

Yukio stared at his brother and then at the unconscious girl. At her state leaving her alone would mean her death. With those wounds and no way of protecting herself she was as good as dead. However, they knew nothing about her. She could be a demon in disguise for all they knew. He couldn't take any risks….

Yukio sighed deeply. "Pick her up. We're taking her with us."

**TBC**

**This is the prologue to a new crossover I'm planning on writing. So, if you find the idea interesting please review to let me know. Also, I have put up a poll on my profile, so please spare a moment to vote the pairing you like best. It only takes a minute and it will help me greatly with the story! So please, just take a minute and vote. I'll be grateful! **

**Anyway, READ AND REVIWE! **

**Lots of love! **


	2. The Okumura Brothers

Pain. It spread throughout her body like a raging fire. Her breathing was shallow and every time she inhaled her lungs burned. She couldn't feel her legs and her head was pounding as if she had been kicked by a horse. She tried moving her fingers but all she managed was a small twitch; her fingers felt as if they were about to break. She didn't even try to open her eyes. All she could remember was the warm feeling of chakra embracing her and then an endless black. Was this what death was supposed to be like? It couldn't be, could it? As a medic she knew that there was no way she could have survived those attacks. So much concentrated chakra would be enough to burn off her flesh.

Then why was she feeling so much pain?

The only explanation was that she was still alive which was as peculiar and daring as it could be on its own. What the hell was going on?

She tried to calm her beating heart and took deep breaths in order to surpass the pain in her lungs in hopes of making her breathing a bit easier. Slowly, she tried to open her eyes but quickly shut them again as soon as the light hit them. After waiting for a few seconds to get rid of the stinging, she tried opening her eyes once more. Her vision was blurry and the bright light was making it hard for her to see. She fought the urge to just shut her eyes and fall back into the blissful oblivion she had surfaced from.

She didn't know what she expected to see when she finally managed to clear her vision. A destroyed field, shattered hills and the remnants of boulders scattered all around her were her most obvious choices. One thing was for sure, the sight she was met with the moment she opened her eyes fully was one she hadn't expected. For no sooner had her vision cleared than she became aware of someone's face being at an uncomfortably close distance to her own.

"Hey there!"

It was out of reflex, really, and she didn't mean anything by it but after so many years of being a shinobi, it was simply a matter of habit and survival instincts. "Kya!" she yelled-quite uncharacteristically- and her clenched fist flew before she could stop it, sending the poor male –for it was surely a male judging by the voice-crashing into a wall. She shot up to a sitting position, fighting the sudden dizziness that ensued, and glanced around with widened eyes, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Her eyes landed on a brown-haired, blue-eyed male about her age, who was sitting in a chair a few feet away from her, staring at her with wide eyes and a twitching eyebrow.

"WHAT THE HELL? ARE YOU NUTS?!"

Sakura shifted her attention to the other male who was glaring at her heatedly with clenched fists and gritted teeth. He seemed shorter than the first male but he was definitely a good head and a half taller than her, maybe more. His wild, navy-blue hair was disheveled and his blue eyes were scintillating. Her eyes shifted between the two boys, then at herself sitting on a bed with a blanket draped over her legs and then back around the unfamiliar room.

Rin openly glared at the weird girl occupying his bed. What was wrong with this chick? He thought as he rubbed the bump on his head. Was that how she greeted her saviors? By punching them through a wall? How could she even do that? Man, the chick could land one mean punch! She almost dislocated his jaw. And not only that but she also had the weirdest appearance he had even see in his life. And that really was something considering he had a clown for a headmaster. I mean, who the hell had pink hair? And it seemed it was natural since her eyebrows were also of the same color. And her eyes…Rin had never come upon such a striking green in his entire life. Sure Shiemi too had green eyes but this girl's…they were something else….

Yukio on the other hand was more sympathetic. He knew that she was probably scared and confused. He was sure that it was not so pleasant waking up in an unfamiliar room with two complete strangers, especially after being so severely hurt. It was only natural that she would be surprised at the very least.

"Where the hell am I?"

The soft question of the girl broke the two brothers out of their thoughts and made them glance at her, Rin's previous anger was quickly forgotten at the sight of widened emerald eyes and the confusion swimming in them. She didn't look scared; in fact she seemed more surprised than anything else. Which was surprising on its own considering her predicaments. Yukio cleared his throat to gain her attention and a nervous feeling took over him when scrutinizing emerald eyes focused on him. The way this girl was looking at him…It was as if she was looking right through him. It was making him uneasy…..Nevertheless, he smiled at her kindly. "My name is Okumura Yukio and this is my brother Rin. May we know your name?"

The girl narrowed her eyes at them and for a while she just sat there, staring at them with suspicion dancing in her eyes. After what seemed like an hour, her eyes softened and she allowed herself to offer them a small smile. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

"Nice to meet you Haruno-san. How are you feeling?"

"I've been better but I'll survive. How did I end up here?"

"My brother and I found you in an alley. You were severely hurt and so we brought here, though we had our qualms about moving you in your condition."

"Thank you for your concern and everything you have done for me, Okumura-san. But…..What is this place? Where are we?" Sakura asked and she seemed almost scared to hear the answer.

And she was; she really was. According to Okumura-san, they had found her in an alley, which was absurd on its own since she was pretty sure that the fight between Naruto and Sasuke had taken place out in the open. The fact that she was alive, sitting on a bed and drawing breath was a miracle on its own, considering the amount of powerful chakra that had hit her head on.

"We are currently in the Old Male Dormitory of True Cross Academy, in True Cross Town." Answered Yukio and watched with growing confusion as a horrified expression overtook the girl's features. Apparently, she was not so pleased with the answer.

Sakura, in all her years travelling around the Elemental Nations while on missions, had never heard of any True Cross Town. It was as foreign to her as snow in Suna. She suddenly felt faint as the realization of the gravity of her situation began to sink in. Just what the hell had she gotten herself into?

"Haruno-san? Is something the matter?"

"You don't, by any chance, have heard of Konoha, do you?"

"I'm afraid I haven't."

"I was afraid you would say that." she answered and laughed humorlessly. She was on the verge of having a panic attack but since she usually destroyed afield or two to blow off some steam-which was a pretty bad idea at the moment-she settled for taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"O-oi, Sakura-san" said Rin "Is everything alright?"

The girl glanced at him. "Let's just say that I'm far, far away from home."

XxxOxOxOxxX

After spending a couple of hours with the Okumura brothers, in the duration of which Yukio helped her tend to her wounds-she had refrained from using her chakra in front of the brothers. They had saved her but there was no way she was revealing any information regarding her home or her profession. However, she maintained a steady a flow of medical chakra that would keep her wounds from reopening and would speed up the healing process.

After washing up-the boys had been kind enough to show her to the dormitory bathing room-and borrowing a clean pair of Rin's clothes( which caused him to blush at the sight of her wearing his loose shirt. Hey! It wasn't anything prevented! It was just that he had never had a girl wear his clothes before. He was a guy after all!) that were a tad too big for her-since her own clothes were damaged beyond repair-Sakura could honestly say that she was definitely feeling better and her panic had been appeased, to an extent at least. Sure, she was probably thousands of miles away from home-maybe even worlds apart-but at this point, her priority was to get a better understanding of this place called True Cross Town and maybe find someone that would be able to help her. If there was anyone that would be able to help her…

She was in the middle of a conversation with Yukio-whom she had convinced to call her 'Sakura' instead of Haruno-san-with the boy giving her advice on how to take care of her wounds-which she only half listened to. She knew perfectly well what she was supposed to do but disregarding the boy's advice would be extremely rude and would blow her cover. Rin was sprawled out on the bed, seemingly dozing off.

"Tomorrow, I bring some more clean bandages for-"started Yukio but didn't get to finish his sentence as a loud growl interrupted him. The conversation abruptly stopped and even Rin popped one eye open. It was probably one the most embarrassing moments in her life and Sakura's face quickly heated up.

"Someone's hungry!" commented Rin and smirked at the blushing girl, whose face was rivaling her hair.

"I-I'm so sorry! Oh God, this is so embarrassing!" she stuttered and clutched her stomach in an attempt to keep it from making another embarrassing noise. It was however in vain as two seconds later her stomach growled again, this time louder.

Yukio stood up and motioned for her to do the same. Rin was quick to follow their example while murmuring something about 'sukiyaki' and immediately dashed out of the door.

Sakura sweat-dropped and smiled. "He's really enthusiastic, ne?"

"He is indeed. Nii-san is rather…passionate about certain things. Especially food."

Sakura smiled '_Why am I not surprised?_' Come to think of it, he reminded her so much of Naruto…She fought down the urge to cringe at the assault of emotions that hit her and forced a smile to her lips. She didn't want to worry the brothers and be any more of a burden than she already was.

They descended some stairs and made their way to what she guessed were the dormitory kitchens. As they neared, she thought she heard Rin talking with someone but quickly dismissed the thought as her imagination playing tricks on her. The door was open and light flooded through the entrance as they stepped in the room. To her surprise, there was already a delicious smell invading her senses making her stomach growl once more. But wait…how was that possible? Yukio and Rin hadn't mentioned anything about anyone else inhabiting the building…..Then how….?

Her question was answered when her eyes fell on something near the stove. She gasped and instinctively took a couple of steps back.

"Sakura? Is something wrong?"

"Y-Yukio? What kind of creature is that?" she asked while pointing at something, or rather _someone._

Both brothers looked taken aback and more than a little surprised.

"W-What?" Yukio managed to stammer out.

Sakura simply focused her widened emerald eyes on the spot she was pointing at. For there, near the stove, was a small creature with a weird, trident-like tail and a pair of horns sprouting from its head, calmly cooking dinner.

**TBC**

**So, here it is! The second chapter of my new crossover "Prayer in the Wind"! The pairing is not yet cleared out so PLEASE spare a minute to vote for your favorite! The poll is still open so all you have to do is go to my profile and vote! It will help me greatly! Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you liked it!**

**READ AND REVIEW! **

**Lots of love!**


	3. Black Hole

The Okumura brothers stared at the pink-haired girl with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. Rin's mouth was hanging open in surprise and Yukio's glasses had slipped from his nose in a rather out-of-character display.

"W-what? B-but how? You can see him?" the younger of the twins stuttered and shifted his blue eyes between Sakura and the small Satyr-like demon who was oblivious to the three dumbfounded and rather confused teenagers.

"It's not likely to miss something like that!" she said but then frowned when it clicked in her mind "Wait….him? You mean to tell me that you are familiar with this creature?"

Yukio scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "You could say that. This is….This is Ukobach. He is the….demon responsible for preparing our meals." He said awkwardly and watched for her reaction. He didn't know whether she was aware of the whole concept of demons or not and he certainly didn't want to scare her is she wasn't.

"Oh" was Sakura's initial-and rather intelligent might I add-reply. As crazy as it would sound to unsuspected ears, the fact that the creature was a demon had not even surprised her that much. She had come across her fair share of demons, what with both her teammates having a demonic streak one way or another. The shinobi world was full of demons-humans and beasts alike. Sometimes it was a fine line…

No….What was surprising though was the fact that a _demon_ of all creatures was _cooking dinner_ for them as if it was the normal thing to do. As she observed the small creature-Ukobach, if she remembered correctly-she found herself smiling slightly at the cute noises of approval it-_he_ made as he tasted his cooking. And just so you know, she happened to be a sucker for cute things…

"So" she started "Is it any good?"

"W-What?" said Yukio, staring at the girl who was acting as if nothing had happened.

"The food. Is it any good?" she answered and smiled at him while tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

As it seemed, that was all the encouragement Rin needed as he immediately forgot all about his initial surprise and started praising Ukobach's cooking skills with such vigor that made Sakura giggle. It seemed that the older Okumura and the small demon had a strange kind of friendship that was based on their mutual love for cooking, as she found out later.

They sat themselves around the kitchen counter that stood in the middle of the room and waited patiently for Ukobach to serve dinner. Amazing smells filled their nostrils and Sakura felt her stomach growl loudly for the hundredth time that day. With the help of Rin, plates and bowls filled the surface of the kitchen counter and the pink-haired girl had to admit that the food looked delicious. With a soft 'itadakimasu' from Sakura and Yukio and a more enthusiastic one from Rin, they literally dug in. Sakura giggled when pink dusted the Satyr-like demon's cheeks when she made a praising comment on his amazing cooking skills. For several minutes they ate in comfortable silence that was broken by Yukio who cleared his throat to gain her attention.

"So, Sakura" he tested the name on his tongue "I noticed that you weren't than shocked by Ukobach's appearance. Why would that be?"

Sakura sighed and placed her chop-sticks down. She knew that the time for answers would come sooner or later, though it would be better if it came later after she had managed to get her thoughts straight and assess her situation a bit more thoroughly.

"How do I put this?" she murmured more to herself than to them. "Look, it's no big deal really. Back home…Let's just say that where I come from demons aren't that rare of an occurrence."

"Is that so?" asked Yukio with growing suspicion "And where would that home be?"

"Does it matter?"

"I think it does."

Sakura sighed heavily. Was there any way to get herself out of this one? "My home…is far, very far away from here."

"I'm afraid that you are gonna have to be more specific."

"It wouldn't make any difference. You know nothing of Konoha either way."

"This Konoha you speak of…I suppose it's outside of Japan, is it not?"

"Japan? I don't know what you are talking about." She said and both brothers looked rather taken aback if Rin chocking on his food was any indication.

"How is that possible?" Rin asked with wide eyes "How can you not know Japan?"

"It's very possible since I have never heard of this Japan you are speaking of."

"Sakura…What is the name of your country?" asked Yukio and for some reason a strange foreboding settled at his stomach.

"My hometown is Konohagakure, also known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves, capital of Fire Country, one of the biggest among the Elemental Nations."

Silence fell around them and Sakura chose to pick at her food, not missing the way two pairs of blue eyes bore into her form. She could almost feel the hair stand at the back of her head under the intensity of their gazes. Especially Rin's…..

It took everything in Yukio's power not to stand up abruptly in surprise. Did this girl realize what she was saying? There was no Fire Country as there was no Konohagakure as she had named her 'hometown'. Did she think that they were fools? It couldn't be that she was telling her truth, could it? No! Accepting her claim was like accepting that Astaroth was not a demon! It was outrageous! But her eyes…they held nothing but complete honesty….

Rin on the other hand was not that composed. He shot up from his heat with his chair scraping the floor and Sakura was taken aback when she saw him glaring at her,

"Oi lady, stop messing with us! Cut the crap and tells us who you really are and who sent you!"

Yukio stared at his brother almost sadly-something that didn't go unnoticed by Sakura despite the tense atmosphere. He knew that it was difficult for him; watching his back after every step. Always on the lookout for the next one that would decide to make an attempt on his life. And the number of those was only growing….He knew that Rin had accepted the fact that he was Satan's son, there was no changing that. However, more often than not Yukio would catch his brother staring longingly at groups of Cross Academy students who had no demons to worry about, no potential assassins to fend off, no fear of losing control and accidentally hurting his family and friends. He knew that deep down Rin wished he were a normal guy among many others.

"Rin….." Sakura breathed out and stared deeply into his eyes. There was something about those blue eyes…There was sadness and pain that were so achingly familiar it almost took her breath away. Those blue eyes reminded her so much of Naruto's…Could it be that Rin had experienced something similar to what Naruto had?

Sakura leaned back and closed her eyes. What was she supposed to do in this situation? Could she really trust these people? It was true that they had saved her and she would forever be grateful for that but could she really tell them the truth? It was obvious that there were some secrets they hadn't shared with her about this strange place called True Cross Town if the small demon with cooking skills was any indication but what she was about to tell them far surpassed Ukobach.

With a heavy sigh and an even heavier heart-she was almost sure that they would sign her up for the crazy house after this-she pushed her plate away and intertwined her fingers in front of her. "What I am about to tell you is highly confidential information and I trust that you will not replay my words to anyone outside these walls. Do I have your word?"

The Okumura brothers exchanged looks before focusing their eyes on her and nodding. "You have our word." Said Rin but chose to remain standing.

"I know that what I am about to tell will probably sound crazy and you might not even believe me but I can honestly say that it is the complete, absolute truth." She started and searched their eyes to make sure that she had their full attention. "The truth is that the conditions under which you ended up finding me in that alley are a lot more complicated than you can imagine. My home is not simply far away from here….I'm not from _here_ at all."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rin growled out.

Sakura sighed for the hundredth time that day. Was there any way to say this without sounding too crazy? Better say it right away and be done with it. "I mean that I am not from this place…..I am not from this…..world…."

"What kind of joke is that? Do you take us for complete fools?"

"It is no joke!" This time it was Sakura's turn to shoot up from her seat. The abrupt movement caused the gash across her abdomen to pull painfully but she didn't even flinch. Fiery emerald orbs clashed with burning blue eyes that were staring at her heatedly. For some reason Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine but didn't show it. Konoha or not, she was still the Godaime's apprentice and she would stand tall and proud. She had taken on the Akatsuki with her bare hands and had lived to tell the tale. She would not be intimidated by a hormonal, teenage male of 16.

"Rin, please sit down. There is no need to shout."

"Another world, Yukio? You expect me to believe that?"

"Please Rin, calm dow-"

"I won't calm down!" He turned to Sakura "We saved you, took you in, tended to your wounds and this is how you repay us? By lying? And the worst is that you are not even trying to make your lies believable."

"No lie has left my lips! You may have saved me and I am grateful for that but that does not give you the right to insult me to my face!" She was not a patient person by nature but this boy was seriously wearing her patience thin.

"I have every right when the only thing you have done is-"

"Enough!"

The argument died out as abruptly as it had begun and both teens turned to look at Yukio who was staring at them with serious eyes. His voice was calm but there was a certain kind of authority behind it that reminded her of Iruka-sensei.

"Sakura, Rin, arguing will get us nowhere. If anything it will only complicate things more." He turned to the girl "Sakura, we do not doubt that you are honest but I hope you understand that what you just told us is hard to process." He shifted his eyes to his brother "And you Rin. That kind of behavior is unacceptable. Sakura is our guest and we ought to treat her accordingly."

"Whatever." The boy huffed and sat back down with his arms crossed stubbornly across his chest. Sakura said nothing but followed his example.

"Now, if you don't mind Sakura, I would really appreciate it if you told us what lead to you appearing in…our world."

The pink-haired girl took a deep breath. "Where I come from, we are raised and trained to become warriors; soldiers known as shinobi. Our duty is to protect our village even at the cost of our own lives. That's why we spend our lives training, carrying out missions and fighting wars. However, weapons of steel are not the only ones we use. We are also trained in the art of ninjutsu which relies on chakra and hand seals."

"What exactly is chakra?"

"Chakra is essential to even the most basic technique; it is the moulding of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once moulded, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood. Through hand seals, chakra can be controlled and manipulated in order to create powerful attacks, most of the times relative to an element of nature."

"O-okay. That's…nice. But it still doesn't explain your presence here." Yukio said and tried to keep his composure but the slight tremor of his voice showed otherwise.

"The last I saw my home, I was caught in the middle of a fight." She lowered her head so her bangs covered her eyes. "Two…very important people to me, powerful warriors of my land, were fighting in a battle…..to the death. They were about to land the killing blows when I stepped in. I had just finished my own battle and I was suffering from blood loss and severe chakra depletion. But I couldn't let them die. So I jumped in between them and took the blows that were meant to kill them both." She looked up at them "I believe that was what brought me here. Those attacks released a tremendous amount of powerful chakra. The moment they collided, all that chakra was concentrated in one spot at once. Such high concentration of energy must have caused a terrible imbalance and the only way to restore that damage was to send it somewhere else. I was caught in the middle and as I too had chakra inside me, there was no possible way to avoid being sent somewhere else."

Both boys stared at her with widened eyes and disbelieving looks on their faces. Was it really possible? Could it really be that she was truly from another, entirely different world?

Yukio had to admit that, no matter how far-fetched it sounded, somehow the story of how she got there made sense. It seemed similar to how a black hole was created. When a star runs out of nuclear fuel, gravity gets the upper hand and the material of the core of the star is compressed. The more massive the core of the star, the greater the force of gravity that compressed the material, collapsing it under its weight. Could it be that something similar had happened to her? Could it be that the energy concentration caused by that battle had open a portal, a wormhole to their world? It was hard to believe but that didn't mean that it couldn't be true. If demons, exorcists and Satan were real why not that?

Yukio pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled at her. "I believe you, Sakura. For some reason, I get the feeling that I can trust you. Your story can also explain the injuries and the bruises you have on your body."

Sakura felt relief flood her and she smiled gratefully at him before shifting her eyes to the older twin. He was staring at her, his eyes searching hers for any sign that she was deceiving them. There was something about his blue eyes that made her stomach turn not unpleasantly but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. After a few minutes of locking gazes, Rin turned away. "Yeah, whatever." And as composed and cool as he wanted to appear, he couldn't hide the smile from his voice.

"I would really like to know more about your home, Sakura. Would you be willing to answer some questions?" asked Yukio.

"Sure. As long as it is not military, political or any other kind of confidential information, I'd be happy to answer your questions."

And so they spent the next two hours asking questions and sharing information about each other's worlds. What was Konoha like? What was the life of a shinobi like? Why were the buildings so tall in True Cross Town?

"Oi, Sakura!"

"Yes, Rin?"

"In your world, do you have sukiyaki?"

Sakura threw her head back and laughed.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Outside of the Old Male Dormitory, a lone figure sat perched on a tree, hidden in the shadows. The figure watched the three teenagers carefully before focusing on the pink-haired girl that had abruptly appeared, seemingly out of thin air.

'_Interesting….Sakura, huh?' _

With one last glance, the figure disappeared into the night.

**TBC**

**So here it is! Thank you guys for your reviews! The poll is still open so please vote for your favorite pairing! Now that the hard part of explaining **_**how**_** Sakura go there is over, things are going to get more interesting and hopefully I'll be able to start building the romance! But for that, you'll need to vote so that I can narrow it down to one pairing so please do so!**

**READ AND REVIEW!**

**Lots of love! **


	4. Different shades of green

**Chapter 4**

"No Yukio. Absolutely not."

"Quit being so stubborn Sakura."

"I said no! Why do I have to anyway?"

"It is a requirement of the school."

"With no apparent purpose, might I add."

"This is a prestigious school Sakura. It is required of all students."

"I refuse to be seen in this!" the pink-haired girl snarled as she pointed at the short pink skirt with the black belt, the tight white shirt and the tight white thigh highs.

"Would it kill you to just wear the school uniform?" Yukio said and sighed at the stubbornness of the girl standing across from him.

"Literally!" answered Sakura "Just look at this skirt! It is way too short, there is nothing practical about it and I can't even hide a kunai under it. It can hardly be considered appropriate to fight in and the shirt only adds to its dysfanctionality. It is too tight to move freely in and I'll have you know that in battle, restriction of movement means death!"

Yukio sweat-dropped and pinched the bridge of his nose to avoid the headache that was sure to come if Sakura continued arguing with him about the school uniform. "There will be no fighting Sakura. You are going to True Cross Academy, not one of your ninja missions. There is no reason for you to feel threatened."

"Famous last words!"

"Look, True Cross Academy is a prestigious and highly guarded school. You don't have to worry about anyone attacking you and certainly you won't be engaged in any form of combat." the Okumura boy said sternly, trying to make the pink-haired kunoichi relax and keep it low with her 'everything-is-going-to-try-to-kill-me' way of thinking. He knew that being suspicious of everything and everyone until proved otherwise was an important part of what she did back where she came from but in True Cross it would get her nowhere.

Sakura however was still not convinced. New world or not, she was a ninja of the Leaf trained by the Hokage herself. She refused to be remembered as the kunoichi who got killed because her roundhouse kick was jeopardized by her skirt! She very much liked being alive, thank you very much.

The young woman eyed what was supposed to be the school uniform warily and scowled at the articles of clothing but grabbed them nonetheless. Wasn't it enough that she was going to this 'cram school for exorcists' as Yukio had called it? I mean, exorcists? Really? First cooking-loving demons and now exorcists? What a strange world she had landed herself into…..

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Not really. You have landed yourself in a rather extraordinary predicament, I must say and at this point leaving you alone is not really an option. Forgive me for saying this, but I have to keep an eye on you in case anything happens. That's why I enrolled you to the school, against my better judgment, I must admit. "

"Are you always so blunt?" Sakura asked and rolled her eyes. Seriously, a babysitter was the last thing she needed right now.

"I am an advocate of honesty, that's all. Now, please put your uniform on so we can be on our way. I'll join Rin downstairs where we'll be waiting for you. Please be quick. Being late on your first day is bound to leave a bad first impression."

Sakura growled as the boy closed the door behind him and sighed heavily. She pinned the outfit with an accusing glare but unbuttoned the shirt anyway. Thank God none of her teammates were here to see her…..

XxxOxOxOxxX

'_What the hell's taking them so long?'_ thought Rin as he paced outside of the Old Dormitory. _'How much time does it take for a girl to get ready anyway?'_ His mind drifted to the pink-haired woman. What a strange turn of events…..And he used to think that he had seen everything there was to see in this world. Obviously, he hadn't thought of _other_ worlds. Heck, the girl was living proof of universal travel! He wasn't really one to be interested in all the scientific stuff-pretty boring, if you asked him-but even he could see that this was _big_!

It was hard to believe all this was actually happening to them. But then again, he hadn't really believed his father when Shiro had told him about demons, exorcists and Satan, yet here he was with pointed ears, fangs, a tail and the Kurikara strapped to his back. I mean, a girl from another world? And what a strange girl she was! An assassin, trained to kill from the age of five and for the rest of her life. The thought was rather…disturbing. He knew that he hadn't had the easiest of childhoods what with being Stan's offspring and all but being forced to kill at such a tender age…..For some unexplainable reason, he felt as if there was some kind of connection between Sakura and himself; that she would understand him if she ever learnt his true identity. There wasn't any particular reason why he felt that way, he just knew that the feeling was there.

Rin shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. He was delving too deep and he really wasn't in the mood for deep thinking. And to focus on other details…..Who the hell has natural pink hair? Sure, Shima had pink hair but natural? Not really. It was weird but a….fitting kind of weird. For some reason he couldn't picture her differently.

And her eyes…Such a vibrant green! He had never seen such a clear shade of emerald. Shiemi too had green eyes but…..but….He couldn't really put his finger on it. Shiemi's eyes were innocent and sweet and kind. Sakura's….There was something mysterious about them…a certain maturity and dynamism, a strange kind of fire that made him want to know more about what she could have possibly gone through. And sadness…..He had seen sadness and longing though for what he couldn't know, but God knows, he knew about sadness and longing.

"There you are Rin."

Yukio's voice broke him out of his thoughts-for which he was grateful-and he turned to watch as his brother walked towards him. "Where's Sakura?"

"She is getting ready."

"Man, why do girls have to take forever to put on a skirt and a shirt?"

"Considering I had a hard time convincing her to even wear it in the first place, be grateful that we'll make it in time for first period." Rin snorted in amusement but said nothing else and settled for gazing far off in the distance. Yukio simply pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and followed his brother's example. He had a lot to think about anyway. Mephisto had requested a meeting with Sakura after Yukio had enrolled her and though the younger Okumura hadn't revealed everything about the girl's actual background, he was almost certain that the headmaster of True Cross Academy knew more than he let on.

"Ahem."

Both boys, now broken out of their thoughts, looked around at the sound of the clearly annoyed voice. Rin's mouth hang open and Yukio couldn't help the satisfied smile that reached his lips at the sight of the young woman. The pink skirt reached a bit above mid-thigh and the white thigh highs complimented her long legs. The tight white shirt hugged her curves nicely-a bit too nicely-and the bow tied around her neck completed the look. She had chosen to keep her headband on. It was a symbol of Konoha and the Will of Fire that burned inside every ninja of her home. She would be dead before she allowed anyone to take that away from her.

Rin continued to stare with his eyes wide. There was no way the woman before him was the same one they found in that alley half a week ago. With her skin free of scars-that she had healed two days ago in a rather impressive display of the wonders this chakra, as she called it, could do that had both Okumura brothers almost chocking on their own saliva-and her form no longer wrapped in bandages and torn clothes but in the rather feminine school uniform, she was a completely different person. She looked….good (a bit _too_ much). Rin didn't even realize it when his skin started to heat up and a small blush colored his cheeks…..

Sakura on her part was flushed, both from embarrassment and anger, and was trying hard not to march over and wipe the smug smile off Yukio's face her way which involved a solid, chakra-enchanted punch to the face. How tempting…..But since knocking her benefactors out was out of the question she settled for growling at the bespectacled youth, totally oblivious to his blushing brother.

"Not. A. Word" she warned and stomped past them with her head held high and her fists clenched at her sides.

"Ummm….Sakura?" said Yukio while being careful not to anger her more. She was already annoyed enough as it was and something told him that staying in her good graces was definitely in his best interests.

"What?"

"True Cross Academy is in the opposite direction."

"Oh shut up!"

Oh yeah, Sakura's stay with the Okumura brothers would definitely be one they wouldn't forget.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Sakura's ear twitched as her sensitive senses caught a strange sound coming from their right and she abruptly stopped with her muscles tense, ready to attack in case of danger.

"Sakura? Is something the matter?"

"I heard something." she said and swept her eyes over the surrounding area with a kunai in hand. The two boys hadn't even noticed her taking it out or from _where_.

_CRACK! _

With a flick of her wrist the kunai was sent flying towards the bush where the sound had come from followed by a startled yelp as a white furry blob shot from the leaves. Sakura blinked and sighed as she eyed the small dog that was panting heavily. It was covered in long white fur and there was a pin polka dot bow tied around its neck.

"Hey, isn't that-"

"A dog. Just a dog." Yukio stopped his brother before he said anything that would mean trouble for them. There had to be a reason why the white canine was hiding the bushes and Yukio wasn't going to question it. Yet.

Sakura eyed the two brother suspiciously but chose to remain silent. Yukio's interruption of Rin was a bit too abrupt in her opinion. Still she picked her kunai up and relaxed her muscles. If the boys said that it was just a dog then just a dog it was. Maybe she was just being paranoid. After so many years of constantly watching her back, being on high alert at all times had become second nature. Lowering her guard for the duration of her stay in this town would be difficult.

She stared at the small dog that was watching her almost anxiously, before sighing and turning around to resume walking. Its chakra had a strange feel to it but then again, everything in this world had a weird, unfamiliar edge. She guessed that travelling between worlds had this kind of consequences. The people here didn't even know of chakra and its uses so she guessed that it was only natural that their chakra circulatory system was different and much less developed in comparison to that of shinobi whose lives revolved around chakra. But still…

With her back turned and lost in thought as she was, she didn't notice the look the two brothers exchanged nor the small dog disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

XxxOxOxOxxX

"Where exactly are you taking me Yukio?"

"To meet the Headmaster."

"Oh."

They fell into silence as they walked through the hallway towards the Headmaster's office and Sakura marveled at the elaborate tapestries, the numerous paintings hanging on the walls, the heavy curtains, even the thick carpet under her feet. She had never seen an interior so elaborately and impressively decorated. Compared to this, even the Hokage Tower seemed rather plain and unimpressive.

They reached heavy double doors and Yukio turned to her.

"This is where I leave you. The Headmaster requested that you see him alone. Once you are done, please ask one of the teachers to direct you to this room." he said and handed her a small piece of paper.

"Thanks." she answered as he patted her shoulder and smiled at her encouragingly before turning around and walking away, back the way they had come. Sakura watched his back until he disappeared around a corner before shifting her eyes to the door. She raised her hand and gave the door three sharp knocks.

"Come in!"

Sakura pushed the oak doors open and found herself in a large room with big windows as elaborately decorated as the rest of the building. Her eyes stopped on a large wooden bureau and more specifically, on the back of a chair that was turned towards her.

"You requested to see me?" she asked politely and stood up straight as she waited to meet the person that was going to be her superior during her attendance of the school's classes. From her experience with Tsunade-sama and the other Kages she had created a certain…cliché, a certain image of those in authority. Mostly, it was of a middle-aged or above man or woman with a stern but just character, a serious expression on their face and a commanding aura. However, what she was met with once the person sitting in the chair turned was an entirely different matter.

"Ah! I've been expecting you, my dear!" the man said cheerfully and stood up to greet her. He smiled at her as forest green eyes scrutinized her.

Sakura fought down the urge to gap at the man. He was wearing a white top hat with pink and purple around the base, purple gloves, a white suit-shirt and undershirt, jester-style pants and point shoes. There was a pink polka dot tie around his neck. Quite tall he was, towering over her form with his purple hair showing under his hat and a well-kept pointy beard on his chin.

'_Wait…..Pink polka-' _

"I am Mephisto Pheles, Headmaster of True Cross Academy. I have heard so much about you Sakura! I must admit that I was anxious to meet you in person." he said cheerily as they shook hands.

"I hope it was good things that you heard." There was something about this man…Something mischievous that had her on edge and her senses on high alert. She couldn't quite put her finger on it yet but there was something about him that piqued her interest. He was emanating a powerful and yet familiar aura….

"Of course, my dear! Now, let's take a seat."

Carefully, Sakura approached the bureau and at down in a chair across from the peculiarly dressed male.

"Now" he started "Tell me your story. Of course Yukio has told me a couple of things but I'd like to hear it from your own mouth."

"There isn't anything interesting about me, really." she began and prepared herself to recite the story they had agreed on with Yukio. "I am a country girl, coming from a small town a couple of hundred miles out of True Cross. I met Yukio half a dozen years ago when my family and I came to True Cross Town to visit Father Fujimoto who my parents were friends with. I received my temptaint a couple of months ago. I contacted Yukio right after and requested that he enroll me in this school. I arrived here a week ago and have been staying with the Okumuras since they are the only ones I know in town."

Mephisto stared at her with fiery forest-green eyes and for a moment Sakura feared that he had seen through her lie but quickly dismissed the thought. She was a trained kunoichi for God's sake! Right or not, lying was second nature and it came quite in handy when on infiltrating or assassination missions. There was however something about the way that he was staring at her that had the hair at the back of her neck on edge. That lopsided smile…made her shiver. Almost.

"Excellent! I have to disagree with you, my dear. That's quite an interesting story you have there. In time, I would like to know more about you. But enough of that. This is where I officially welcome you to True Cross Academy. I hope you'll find our curriculum most interesting."

Sakura met his gaze with her own and forest-green clashed with emerald. And then it clicked. Sakura smirked and reveled in the way her sudden-almost predatory-smirk took him by surprise. He was quick to regain his composure and cheerful expression but Sakura's quick eyes had caught the momentary change in demeanor. Two could play that game and she just happened to be an experienced player. And she hated to loose….

"Thank you. I am sure that I'll find my classes most enjoyable." She smiled at him sweetly but even with her eyes closed she could tell that she had succeeded in unnerving him. She was also sure that the double meaning behind her words hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Good, good! Now, I would hate to keep you away from your classes any longer. I'm sure that you are quite anxious to meet your teachers and classmates." He was polite and cheerful but he seemed a bit more reserved. Good.

"Oh yeah." she replied "I can't wait to discover everything that lies behind these walls." She smiled at him and fought down the urge to let a smug smirk grace her lips. She had an image to maintain. For now at least. She stood and he followed her example before shaking her hand for the second time that day.

"I was a pleasure meeting you, my dear. Should you need anything, feel free to pay me a visit."

"Thank you. The pleasure was all mine." With that she turned to walk away. She was about to step out of the room when she stopped and glanced at him over her shoulder, emerald eyes alight with a mischievous fire.

"Oh and Mr. Pheles? One more thing….."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Next time you decide to spy on me, better do so in your own form. Between you and me, dog fur doesn't compliment you at all. Consider this as….friendly advice."

The heavy oaken doors closed behind her, leaving a dumbfounded Mephisto staring at her back…..

**TBC**

**So, here it is! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and for voting! The pairing has been decided…*insert drum roll*…..SakuraXRin! The poll results are:**

**-Okumura Rin: 11**

**-Mephisto Pheles: 5**

**-Okumura Yukio: 3**

**-Suguro Ryuji: 3**

**I know that some of you voted in the reviews but I am afraid that I couldn't take those votes into consideration since I couldn't know whether you had voted in the poll too or not. As you see, counting those votes would have been unfair. Also, to those of you who requested this to be a MephistoXSakura pairing, I'm so sorry to disappoint you! But I promise that I will definitely write a SakuraXMephisto story after I am done with this. I've been thinking about it and I must admit that I will have one hell of a time writing about this pairing! I really can't wait! So, don't be disappointed! I'll quench your thirst for MephistoXSakura love soon enough! Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, I had fun writing and sorry for the late update. I had to update another story and on top of everything, I had to move to another apartment since my old landlord had serious issues and was a total asshole about everything. I swear, some people you just can't reason with! But enough of that! I hope you liked it! READ AND REVIEW! **

**Lots of love! **


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